Method of manufacturing medical appliance disposal container

ABSTRACT

A medical waste disposal container has a unitary body structure formed of a substantially flat sheet having a plurality of laminated layers of compact fiberboard, and one or more thin pliable layers of absorbtion resistant plastic material. The laminated sheet material contains a plurality of foldable sheet portions that are scored, wrapped at corners and adhesively joined together to define a bottom, sidewalls and a top of the body structure. The top has an opening, that is closeable by way of a flap formed in the sheet material, for insertion of discarded medical waste. The interior of the container is preferably coated with an absorption resistant material to effectively provide a leakproof seal at the intersections of its sidewalls and bottom. Adhesion and additional sealing of the foldable sheet portions is achieved in the course of manufacture by irradiating the laminate sheet material with infrared light, which causes the plastic layer that forms the outer wall surface of the sheet material to become tacky, so that it becomes intimately bonded to an adjacent folded sheet portion to which it is joined, thus securing the wrapeed sheet portions together.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation of Ser. No. 449,675, filedDec. 12, 1989, now abandoned, which is a divisional application ofcopending application Ser. No. 300,946, filed January Jan. 24, 1989, nowU.S. Pat. No. 4,927,076 issued May 22, 1990, entitled Medical ApplianceDisposal Container, and assigned to the assignee of the presentapplication.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates in general to the disposal of hazardousand potentially hazardous materials and is particularly directed to anew and improved container for the safe disposal of medical appliancessuch as syringes, scalpel blades, laboratory culture slides, bloodtubing, toxic waste vessels, etc.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The safe disposal of hazardous and potentially dangerous medical waste,especially sharp instruments such as syringes and scalpel blades, is aparamount concern of medical facilities where both medical personnel andpatients may be exposed to a threat of injury and contracting contagiousdisease. As a consequence, public health service organizations, such asthe Center for Disease Control, have issued advisories that containersused for such disposal must be rigid, leakproof and puncture resistantUnfortunately, many of the medical waste material containers that arecurrently employed by the medical community are typically multi-pieceplastic structures, usually of `snap together` construction, which notonly are susceptible to leaks at their joints, but often readily comeapart, spilling their contents, when subjected to `trash removal` typeof handling by hospital custodial personnel. Moreover, because hospitalregulations often require destruction by incineration, burningcontainers made substantially entirely of plastic can cause the emissionof considerable quantities of toxic pollutants.

With the paramount concern of the medical community and society ingeneral of the devastating effects of the spread of diseases such as theAIDS virus, herpes and hepatitis, the potentially life-threateningshortcomings of conventional waste disposal containers have resulted ina demand for stricter regulation and control of both methods of thedisposal of medical waste and improvements in the types of containersthat are used for the purpose. In addition, there is a need for aneconomical, efficient waste device for controlling hospital/medicalcosts.

Advantageously, a number of these problems are addressed by thecontainer configurations described in my previously issued U.S. Pat.Nos. 4,410,086, 4,452,358 assigned to the assignee of the presentapplication. In particular, the use of a unitary structure of fiberboardmaterial and the provision of coatings to prevent liquid absorption andthereby maintain container integrity and prevent leakage are detailed.As an additional feature, such patented waste container structures areprovided with needle bending and removal devices that facilitateinstrument disposal and minimize risk to medical personnel during thediscarding of syringes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, anumber of the safety features that are addressed by the above-referencedpatented containers are further enhanced by a new and improved medicalwaste disposal container, the configuration and assembly of whichenables the container to either meet or exceed all of theabove-mentioned safety criteria. For this purpose, like the patentedcontainers, the present invention is comprised of a unitary bodystructure formed of a substantially flat sheet, that has a plurality oflaminated layers of compact (non-toxic) fibrous material, such as highbond strength (on the order of 450-500 Mullen) fiberboard, which iseffectively impermeable to needle punctures. The laminated sheetstructure is also provided, preferably at least within its interior,with one or more thin (on the order of one to several mils) pliablelayers of an absorbtion resistant material, such as polyurethane, thatforms a liquid barrier and thereby prevents the passage of fluid throughthe entirety of the fibrous material and thus serves to maintain theintegrity and strength of the wall structure of the container.

In the course of manufacture of the container, the sheet material isdivided into a plurality of foldable panels that are scored, wrapped atcorners and adhesively joined together to define a bottom, sidewalls anda top of the body structure. In accordance with a first aspect of thepresent invention, the panels are scored along lines spaced apart fromfolding edges thereof, so as to cause, during subsequent folding ofsheet panels, the formation of beads in the sheet material that areseparated from the corners of folds, whereby edges of the panels abutagainst corners of the folds and ensure a snug, leakproof fit of thepanels.

Pursuant to a further aspect of the invention, the top of the containeris formed of a first, interior panel of the sheet material having anopening therethrough that is shaped to define a lip extending from oneside of the opening, and a second, outer panel of the sheet material,disposed adjacent to the first panel, the second panel having a cuttherethrough to define a flexible tab overlying the opening in the firstpanel and being sized to effectively close the opening when urgeddownwardly onto the opening and engaged by the lip, and therebyassisting in the safe retention of disposed medical components, such assyringes and scalpel blades, that have been inserted through the topinto the container. Like the patented containers, the interior of thecontainer is preferably coated with an absorption resistant material toeffectively provide a leakproof seal at the intersections of itssidewalls and bottom.

Pursuant to a further feature of the invention, assembly is facilitatedand additional sealing of the foldable sheet portions is achieved byirradiating the laminate sheet material with electromagnetic energy,preferably from an infrared lamp, immediately prior to folding andwrapping sheet portions that are to overlap one another and joinedtogether. This irradiation makes the thin plastic layer that forms theouter wall surface of the sheet material tacky, so that it becomesintimately bonded to an adjacent folded sheet portion to which it isjoined, thus securing the wrapped sheet portions together, without theneed for a separate adhesive, and providing an additional fluid barrierat the wrap joints.

When contrasted with the multi-piece construction of a conventionalplastic container, the structural configuration of the present inventionoffers a number of advantages. First, its unitary constructioneffectively prevents the container from coming apart and facilitates theformation of a lip/tab closure of the opening in the top of thecontainer that securely retains discarded component that have beeninserted in the container. In addition, the high bond strength, compact(non-toxic) fiberboard within the laminate sheet material permits thecontainer to be subjected to severe external forces without loss ofstructural integrity. A plastic container, on the other hand,effectively shatters into multiple pieces, releasing the entirety of itscontents. Furthermore, because of the high density of the fiberboardlayers of the sheet material, the container resists needle penetration,so that it effectively meets each of the requirements currently proposedfor medical waste disposal containers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a pictorial illustration of an embodiment of a medicalappliance disposal container in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows the general layout of a laminate sheet material which iscut and fold/wrapped, so that the respective sheet portions may beassembled to form the unitary container construction of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows an exaggerated diagrammatic cross-sectional illustration offiberboard/plastic laminate sheet material that may be used for themanufacture of the medical waste disposal container in accordance withthe present invention;

FIG. 4 diagrammatically illustrates an interior coating of an absorptionresistant material formed along the interior sidewalls and the interiorbottom surface of the container;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrammatic cross-sectional illustrations of aportion of the top of the container whereat an opening is formed by wayof an outer tab and an inner tab;

FIGS. 7 and 8 show a further embodiment of the present invention, inwhich the container is substantially square-shaped and provided with agenerally circular aperture in its top;

FIG. 9 shows the manner in which scoring of the sheet material of thepresent invention is selectively located to enable the corners to beeffectively wrapped in a tight configuration;

FIG. 10 shows the corner configuration of sheet material that has beenconventionally scored and folded; and

FIG. 11 diagrammatically shows the irradiation of panels and flaps oflaminate sheet material, which are to be joined together to form acontainer illustrated in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 diagrammatically illustrates one embodiment of a medicalappliance disposal container in accordance with the present invention,comprising a generally rectangular-configured body 10 having a pluralityof sides 11, a bottom 12 and a top 13. In the generally rectangularconfiguration shown in FIG. 1, the body has a front 11F, a pair ofparallel left and right sides 11L and 11R, respectively, and a back 11Bparallel with front 11F. Each of bottom 12 and top 13 is contiguous witheach of the sides 11. While bottom 12 has a continuous surface, top 13has a slot or opening 16 of sufficient size for insertion of a medicalappliance, such as a needle-syringe assembly or scalpel. Slot or opening16 is defined by an inner tab 15 which is bent or inclined downwardlyinto the container 10, and an outer closure tab 14 which is bent orinclined upwardly away from the top 13. The edges of the opening 16 areconfigured to define a lip portion 17 opposite to the edge from whichtabs 14 and 15 are bent upwardly and downwardly, respectively. Whenclosure tab 14 is urged downwardly into opening 16 against the`spring-back` tendency created along its fold line, lip 17 serves tosecurely capture and retain the tab at approximately the surface of thetop of the container, so that there is no tab protrusion at opening 16.

As described briefly above, because the container of the presentinvention is formed of unitary construction, it does not readily comeapart, thus minimizing spillage of its contents. FIG. 2 shows thegeneral layout of a laminate sheet material which is cut therethroughalong solid lines 20 and fold/wrapped along broken lines 30, so that therespective panels may be assembled to form the unitary constructionconfiguration of FIG. 1.

More specifically., the sheet layout is comprised of a right side panel11R, a front panel 11F, a left side panel 11L, a back panel 11V andinterior side panel 11I, which are successively contiguous with oneanother, as shown. A pair of bottom and top minor flap panels 22R and23R extend from opposite ends of right side panel 11R. Similarly, anouter top panel 13-0 and an outer bottom panel 12-0 are contiguous withand extend from the top and bottom edges of the front panel 11F. Anadditional pair of minor flap panels 22L and 23L extend from the bottomand top edges of left side panel 11L, while an interior top panel 13-Iextends from the top edge of back panel 11B, and an interior bottompanel 12-I extends from the bottom edge of back panel 11B.

The opening or slot 16 in the top 13 of the container is defined by cutlines in outer top panel portion 13-0, which form outer tab 14, and cutlines in the inner top panel 13-I, which form inner tab 15 and lip 17.It should be noted that the length of each of minor flap panels 23R and23L is defined to provide a clearance between the ends of top panels 13and the openings therein, so that the minor flap panels do not overlapthe openings. The lengths of minor flap panels 22R and 22L may besomewhat longer than the lengths of minor flap panels 23R and 23L, solong as the ends of the minor panels do not overlap one another in theirfolded assembled condition. In its assembled condition, each of minorflap panels 22R and 22L is secured to the interior surface of interiorbottom panel 12-I.

The panel layout shown in FIG. 2 is folded together such that each ofminor flap panels 22R and 22L is contiguous with the interior surface ofinterior bottom panel l2I, the bottom surface of which, in turn, iscontiguous with the interior surface of outer bottom panel 12-0.Similarly, the top surface of each of minor flap panels 23R and 23L iscontiguous with the bottom surface of top interior panel 13-I, the topsurface of which, in turn, is contiguous with the bottom or interiorsurface of top outer panel 13-0. The outer surface of interior sidepanel 11I is contiguous with the interior surface of right side panel11R.

FIG. 3 shows an exaggerated diagrammatic cross-sectional illustration ofone embodiment of the fiberboard/plastic laminate sheet material thatmay be used for the manufacture of the medical waste disposal containerin accordance with the present invention. As shown therein, the sheetmaterial is preferably comprised of a plurality of layers of wood pulpfiber-based fiberboard, 31, 32, 33 and 34, an individual layer having athickness on the order of 12-25 mils. Preferably, the fiberboard isextremely high strength material such as Kraft board supplied by SunocoFiber Drum, having a bond strength on the order of 450-550 Mullen (e.g.500 Mullen).

The respective fiberboard layers are adhesively laminated together usinga conventional adhesive such as polyvinyl alcohol. Because of the highdensity, high Mullen bond strength of the fiberboard layers, the sheetmaterial is extremely strong and is effectively needle-puncture proof.To provide a water seal barrier, one or more layers of fluid imperviousmaterial, such as a thin flexible plastic, is included as part of thelaminate structure. In the cross-sectional illustration shown in FIG. 3,two such layers are shown. Specifically, an inner flexible plastic layer51 is adhesively bonded (by way of polyvinyl alcohol adhesive layers 52and 5) to fiberboard layers 32 and 33, respectively and an outer plasticlayer 55 is adhesively bonded by way of polyvinyl alcohol adhesive layer56, to fiberboard layer 31. If desired, an additional plastic layer maybe provided on the outer surface of fiberboard layer 34. The fluidbarrier-providing thin plastic layer may be formed of polyvinyl chlorideor polyurethane, having a thickness on the order of 1 to several mils,so that it has elasticity. This flexible plastic material may beprovided as a central or interior layer of the laminate structure, asshown at 51 in FIG. 3, and/or as the outer surface, as shown by plasticlayer 55. Moreover, the plastic material is preferably a high visibilitymaterial, to provide a hazardous waste warning to medical personnel,e.g. a bright red material, or a yellow orange to provide a clearcontrast background for blood spatters. Manufacture of the laminatesheet material, per se, may be effected in a conventional manner, byfeeding webs from respective rolls of fiberboard and plastic sheet stockthrough a rolling mill lamination station whereat an adhesive applicatorand compression rolling mill secure the multiple layers together.

It should also be noted that while the laminate structure shown in FIG.3 is comprised of two pairs of fiberboard layers, the number employed isnot limited to the embodiment. What is important, however, is that thestructure be symmetric or "balanced". Namely, a single fiberboard layerhaving a layer of plastic on only one side thereof will tend to distortin one direction and not lay flat. Pairs of multiple fiberboard layers(two boards per layer being shown in FIG. 3) provide a balanced orsymmetric arrangement of fiberboard layers about an intermediate thinplastic film layer, so that the sheet laminate will essentially layflat. With an outer layer of plastic film, the overall thickness of thesheet laminate is typically on the order of 58-62 mils.

As noted above, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of theinvention, the intermediate or center layer of the laminate structurecomprises a thin fluid-impervious layer on either side of which amultiple fiberboard structure is formed. In addition to this centrallylocated fluid barrier, the outer layer of the fiberboard structure ispreferably comprised of the fluid impervious plastic. By providing thethin, flexible plastic on the outer surface of the sheet material,several advantages are afforded. First of all, the resulting containersurface has a non-cellular absorption resistant surface, which may bereadily wiped off and thereby maintained in a disinfected condition. Inaddition, by the appropriate pigmentation of the plastic material, suchas a bright red, the outer surface of the container will possess a highvisibility coloration. In the course of manufacture, therefore, theapplication of an external paint merely for warning coloration purposesis unnecessary.

FIG. 4 diagrammatically illustrates a further feature of the presentinvention in which an interior coating 61 of an absorption resistantmaterial, such as polyvinyl alcohol, is formed along the interiorsidewalls and the interior bottom surface of the container. After thebox has been assembled, layer 61 is formed by pouring anabsorption-resistant liquid, such as a commercially available non-toxicliquid glue, through the opening 16 in the top of the container andallowing it to adhere to the sides and bottom so that it coats thefold/wrap lines 20. Alternatively or, in addition, the interior surfaceof the sheet material may include the above-mentioned plastic layer.Still, by providing the coating 61, the corners of the bottom and sidesof the interior of the container are completely sealed after the liquidcoating sets up and dries.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrammatic cross-sectional illustrations of thatportion of the top 13 of the container whereat the opening 16 is formedby way of outer tab 14 and inner tab 15. As shown at 14S in FIG. 5, theouter surface of top panel 13-0 is scored along the fold line of outertab 14 and a slit score 15S is formed along the fold line of interiortab 15 of interior top panel 13-I. Outer tab 14 is bent or foldedupwardly away from the aperture 16, whereas inner tab 15 is foldeddownwardly into the container. The folding down of interior tab 15provides sufficient clearance for entry of medical waste articles intothe container through the opening 16.

Because of the substantial "memory" possessed by the laminate sheetmaterial of which the container is formed, each of tabs 14 and 15 tendsto remain in its folded condition resulting from the scoring.Consequently, merely folding tab 14 down to its previous position willnot cause the tab 14 to stay there. It tends to spring back. To secureouter tab 14 in a fully closed position, interior top panel 13I has alip 17 as shown diagrammatically in FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 6. When tab 14 ispushed inwardly into the container, it snaps past lip 17 and then iscaught by its underside surface, as shown in FIG. 6, to retain outer tab14 in a substantially closed, horizontal position. An adhesivewarning/identification label that is normally provided on the outersurface of front panel IIF of the container may then be peeled off andplaced over the enclosed top 14, as shown by broken lines 18 in FIG. 6,to securely close the top of the container.

In accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention,the container may be substantially cube or square-shaped and providedwith a generally circular aperture in the top thereof. For this purpose,as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the interior top panel 13-0' has a generallycircular, sectioned region 71 from one portion of which extends agenerally triangular or `V`-shaped region 72. A central circularaperture 76 defines the interior edge of a plurality of generallywedge-shaped flaps 73 which are bent inwardly from a score line 74. Anarrow slot 77 extends from central aperture 76 to the vertex of region72 to provide a converging `crimping` region whereat needles may be bentduring the course of discarding of a syringe. Score line 74 follows thegenerally circular shape of region 71. As in the embodiment shown inFIGS. 5 and 6, slit scores 74 cause the wedge shape tabs 73 to remain intheir generally downwardly bent condition.

FIG. 8 shows the configuration of the outer top panel 13-O' having anouter flap 81 which is coincident with the opening 71 within interiortop panel 13-I' and extends from a score 82 along a slit line 83, whichconforms with the shape of generally circular or curvilinear region 71and `V`-shaped region 72 of FIG. 7. Score 82 causes the outer tab 81 tobe retained in a generally upwardly or outwardly extending condition,similar to tab 14 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. However,unlike the generally rectangular-shaped outer tab 14 in the embodimentshown in FIG. 1, the score line 82 of the generally circular tab shownin FIG. 8 is relatively short, so that the outer tab 81, when urged downinto its original position, will not tend to resist remaining in thehorizontal position and can be readily sealed by an overlying plasticlabel, similar to that shown in FIG. 6. In other words, the need for alip to grab tab 81 is unnecessary.

FIG. 9 shows the manner in which scoring of the sheet material of thepresent invention is selectively located to enable the corners to beeffectively wrapped in a very snug tight configuration, rather thanfolded, which might otherwise prevent a secure seal of the corners ofthe folds. More particularly, diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 9 isa portion 91 of a panel around an edge 97 of which a panel 92 is to bewrapped. In accordance with the present invention, panel 92 is scored(as by means of a sharp rule edge) at region 94 which is slightly belowcorner 98 of panel edge 97. Because of the elasticity of pliable thinplastic layer 55, the application of a scoring rule permits panel 92 tobe scored or indented as shown at 94 which, in turn, causes theprotrusion of a bead 96 on portion 95 of the panel opposite the outerside whereat thin flexible plastic layer 55 is provided. When tightlywrapped around (rather than simply folded at) edge 97, because of theseparation of bead 96 from corner 99 whereat panel 92 is bent to formtop portion 93, edge 97 is snuggly captured by and abuts againstinterior surface 100 of panel portion 92. Due to the elasticity of outerplastic layer 55, the fluid impervious barrier at the corner ismaintained. The placement of the score 94 below corner 98 whereat thepanel is tightly wrapped or bent is to be contrasted with a conventionalscoring of sheet material at the corner.

More particularly, as shown in FIG. 10, a conventionally scored panel101 is shown as having an end edge 107 at which another panel 102 is tobe folded into a pair of fold panel portions 103 and 105. A conventionalscore 104 provided at the corner causes the formation of a bead 106 isdirectly adjacent to and abuts against edge 107 of panel 101. Such abead usually creates a space 108 adjacent to the edge of 107 of panel101, rather than a snug seal when the score is offset from the corner inaccordance with the present invention, as shown in FIG. 9, describedabove.

In addition to scoring the wrapped edges of the sheet material atlocations slightly displaced from the corners of the container, so as tocause the formation of the bead around the edge of the flap, as shown inFIG. 9, rather than against the edge of the flap as shown in FIG. 10,the manufacturing process of the present invention employs a mechanismwhich takes advantage of the physical properties of the plastic layerthat forms the outer surface of the sheet material and, consequently,the outer surface of the container. Specifically, rather than employ aseparate adhesive for securing the respective panels of the layout shownin FIG. 2, for example, to form the container, the present inventionexposes those panel sections which are to be joined together to a sourceof electromagnetic radiation, such as infrared light, which heats theplastic material to a tacky, adhesive state, so that the outer plasticlayer, in effect, becomes the adhesive, thereby eliminating the need fora separate adhesive material to secure the panels of the containertogether.

More particularly, as diagrammatically shown in FIG. 11, the respectivepanels and flaps of the container 10, which are to be joined together toform a structure such as that illustrated in FIG. 1, may be irradiatedby electromagnetic radiation 130, such as that provided by an infraredlamp 120. Lamp 120 irradiates the outer plastic layer for a period oftime on the order of five to twenty seconds, which is sufficient tosoften the outer plastic layer 55 and render it tacky. The respectivepanels are then folded over and pressed against one another through asuitable folding medium, such as a Teflon or marble roller, which has noaffinity for the plastic. Advantageously, the set-up time for such anirradiated plastic material is on the order of one to two seconds, sothat the time required for the assembly of a container is reducedconsiderably in comparison with the case where a separate adhesivematerial is employed.

As will be appreciated from the foregoing description, the unitary,fluid impervious laminate structure of the container structure accordingto the present invention is capable of satisfying critical safetycriteria for medical waste containers. Not only is the laminatestructure effectively impermeable to punctures, but, due to the presenceof one or more layers of absorbtion resistant pliable material, and thecoating of its interior with an absorption resistant material, yields acontainer that is effectively leakproof. In addition, by irradiating thefoldable sheet portions of the container with infrared light, the thinplastic layer that forms the outer wall surface of the sheet materialeffectively becomes a strong adhesive, which intimately bonds adjacentfolded sheet together, thus simplifying the manufacturing process andproviding an additional fluid barrier at the wrap joints.

While I have shown and described several embodiments in accordance withthe present invention, it is to be understood that the same is notlimited thereto but is susceptible to numerous changes and modificationsas known to a person skilled in the art, and I therefore do not wish tobe limited to the details shown and described herein but intend to coverall such changes and modifications as are obvious to one of ordinaryskill in the art.

What is claimed:
 1. A method of making a container comprising the stepsof:(a) providing a substantially flat sheet material having a laminatedstructure containing compact fibrous material and an outer layer ofmaterial that is effectively impervious to the passage of fluidtherethrough and which, when irradiated by infrared rays for aprescribed period of time, becomes tacky; (b) forming, in the sheetmaterial provided in step (a), a plurality of foldable panels that areto be folded and joined together to define bottom, sidewall and topportions of a body; (c) irradiating said sheet material with infraredelectromagnetic energy so as to heat said outer layer to its tackycondition; and (d) folding and joining together sheet panels that havebeen irradiated in step (c), whereby folded and joined together sheetpanels are bonded to one another by means of the outer layer of saidsheet material, so as to form said container; (e) coating interiorintersections of bottom and sidewall portions of said body with fluidabsorption resistant material; and (f) prior to step (d), scoring saidfoldable panels of sheet material along lines spaced apart from foldedcorners thereof, so as to cause, during the folding of sheet panels instep (d), the formation of beads in said sheet material that areseparated from the corners of fold in said sheet material, wherein thescoring of a respective one of said foldable panels of sheet materialcomprises scoring said respective one of said foldable panels of sheetmaterial on one side thereof at a region adjacent to a fold location soas to cause the protrusion of a bead on an opposite, interior side ofsaid respective one of said foldable panels of sheet material, such thata side edge of a respective one of said foldable panels of sheetmaterial abuts against an interior fold corner of another of saidfoldable panels of sheet material that is folded to be contiguoustherewith and is captured between said bead and interior folded cornerof said another of said foldable panels of sheet material, therebyeffectively providing a sealed joint thereat and preventing theformation of a leakage space between the interior of said container andthe exterior thereof.
 2. A method of making a container comprising thesteps of:(a) providing a substantially flat sheet material having alaminated structure containing compact fibrous material and a thin outerlayer of pliable material that is effectively impervious to the passageof fluid therethrough; (b) forming, in the sheet material provided instep (a), a plurality of foldable panels that are to be folded andjoined together to define bottom, sidewall and top portions of saidbody; (c) scoring said foldable panels of sheet material along linesspaced apart from folding regions thereof, so as to cause, duringsubsequent folding of sheet panels, the formation of beads in said sheetmaterial that are separated from the corners of folds in said sheetmaterial, wherein the scoring of a respective one of said foldablepanels of sheet material comprises scoring said respective one of saidfoldable panels of sheet material on one side thereof at a regionadjacent a fold location so as to cause the protrusion of a bead on anopposite, interior side of said respective one of said foldable panelsof sheet material, such that a side edge of a respective one of saidfoldable panels of sheet material abuts against an interior fold cornerof another of said foldable panels of sheet material when folded to becontiguous therewithin and is captured between said bead and saidinterior fold corner of said another of said foldable panels of sheetmaterial, thereby effectively providing a sealed joint thereat andpreventing the formation of a leakage space between the interior of saidcontainer and the exterior thereof; (d) irradiating said sheet materialwith infrared electromagnetic energy so as to heat said thin outer layerof pliable material to a tacky condition; and (e) folding and adhesivelyjoining together sheet panels that have been scored in step (c) andirradiated by infrared electromagnetic energy to a tacky condition instep (d), whereby folded and joined together sheet panels are bonded toone another, so as to form said container.
 3. A method according toclaim 2, further including the step of:(f) coating interiorintersections of bottom and sidewall portions of said body with fluidabsorption resistant material.